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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27332308">being good isn't always easy</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/lostin_space/pseuds/lostin_space'>lostin_space</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, Flirting, Happy Ending, Libraries, M/M, Secrets</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 23:21:17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,804</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27332308</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/lostin_space/pseuds/lostin_space</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>He watched Alex Manes reach up to shelve a book that was almost out of reach, fingertips tapping the spine to tuck it into place. Michael offered a little telekinetic push to slide it into place easier. Alex didn’t seem to notice, simply going to the next book in his cart. Michael bit into his cheek as he made the choice to cause a book on the edge of the top shelf to fall over. Alex huffed and went to grab it, reaching up to put it back.</p><p>OR </p><p>Michael likes to mess with the library assistant and doesn't anticipate who he's messing with.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Michael Guerin/Alex Manes</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>124</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Roswell New Mexico ▶ Michael Guerin / Alex Manes</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>being good isn't always easy</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/prouvaireafterdark/gifts">prouvaireafterdark</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Happy birthday, Lynne! This turned into something a little different than I originally expected but what can you do. I hope you have the best of birthdays &lt;3</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Michael couldn’t be blamed and he refused to justify himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He watched Alex Manes reach up to shelve a book that was almost out of reach, fingertips tapping the spine to tuck it into place. Michael offered a little telekinetic push to slide it into place easier. Alex didn’t seem to notice, simply going to the next book in his cart. Michael bit into his cheek as he made the choice to cause a book on the edge of the top shelf to fall over. Alex huffed and went to grab it, reaching up to put it back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He did this a lot. Probably too much. But, hey, if messing with the cute library assistant was the thing keeping him out of trouble, who could blame him? No one, that’s who.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Occasionally, Alex would look around and Michael would pretend to be invested in his book so he wouldn’t get self conscious or wouldn’t find him suspicious, but that was as subtle as he got. It was just too much fun.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alex would eventually disappear out of sight, though, and he would have to actually focus on his homework. Stupid homework.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you doing?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Michael looked up at the voice to see Isobel standing there with that expression that said she knew </span>
  <em>
    <span>exactly </span>
  </em>
  <span>what he was doing. He put on his most innocent smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nothing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mm, and I’m the queen of England,” she said, sitting beside him, “Whatever you’re doing, stop it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stop doing my homework? Well, I mean, if you </span>
  <em>
    <span>say </span>
  </em>
  <span>so.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Michael.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He rolled his eyes and dropped his chin in his hand as he looked down at his homework. It was all stupidly easy and so boring that he hated wasting his time to focus on it. Every time he’d tried to explain to his teachers that it was too easy and boring, they would simply say that he should actually do it for once. He stopped complaining.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Help me with this, I don’t understand this shit,” Isobel said, scooting closer so he could see what she was stuck on. It was balancing chemical equations which is what he’d helped her with yesterday and helped Max with over the weekend. But he leaned closer anyway and went over it for a third time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Halfway through the second question, though, he felt a pair of eyes on him. When he glanced up, he caught sight of Alex Manes looking through one of the stacks of books right at him. He flashed a smile and huffed a laugh when he very quickly looked away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stop laughing at me,” Isobel scolded. He shook his head and wrapped his arm around the back of her chair.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not, I promise. Alright, next question.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Michael was actually, for once, reading a whole book this time when another book slammed down in front of him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He jumped and looked up to see Alex Manes standing there. An easy, cocky smile found his lips and he tilted his head. They never actually spoke. He just fucked with him from afar. Now, though, it felt like all those clandestine encounters were worth it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You fuck with my books today and I will throw you out,” Alex said. Michael’s stomach dropped and his eyes widened, his heart stalling mid-beat. “I know it’s you. It only happens when you can see me. I’m not stupid.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t care. But it’s annoying, so stop,” he said, sliding the book a little closer, “Peace offering.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The book was on the pseudo-science of telekinesis and how to induce a psychic awakening. From the cover alone, Michael couldn’t tell if it was a joke book or not. It didn’t really matter. He knew. Michael had thought he was being subtle and Alex </span>
  <em>
    <span>knew.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“What the fuck?” Michael breathed before he could catch himself and even pretend to play it off. Alex smirked to himself and patted the top of the book before walking away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Michael watched him leave with even more intrigue than he’d ever had before. Which was saying something because he was usually pretty damn intrigued.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He quickly reached for the book and opened it, scanning the pages to see if it held any weight. It didn’t take long to see that it was indeed just bullshit and something that someone created to fulfil their own personal wish to be telekinetic. It wasn’t real. But… Alex still knew. Or maybe it was a joke to talk to him? Did his reaction give it away? Should he talk to him about it or would that make it worse?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Michael couldn’t find it in him to be playful as he sat there in his own head for a solid hour or so, trying to think of how to properly handle this situation. He couldn’t ask Isobel or Max because they would be so angry at him for outting himself like that. He was supposed to be just playing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He eventually decided that he </span>
  <em>
    <span>couldn’t </span>
  </em>
  <span>handle this situation, not today, so he grabbed his bag and started to speed walk out of the library. His brain was too full and he didn’t know what this meant. Alex said he didn’t care, but did he understand what he was actually saying? Did he understand that this wasn’t a joke?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Michael almost made it to his truck before a hand grabbed his arm. He whirled around, eyes wide and far too on edge for all of this. Alex stood there with his hands up in surrender.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable,” Alex said, “I’m sorry if I did or if I scared you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please don’t say anything. I’m sorry for messing with you, I won’t do it anymore, but please don’t say anything,” Michael said. Alex’s face didn’t change at all which made Michael feel even more like he was being closed in on. “I’m sorry, okay? I-I just thought you were cute. I won’t do it anymore.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alex waited far too many seconds before he said, “I’m not going to say anything. Why would I?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because this isn’t, like, a small thing,” Michael said, “I don’t even understand how you figured it out. Like, why was that your first assumption? Are you that observative? Are you like a secret genius or something?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not going to say anything,” Alex said again instead of answering any of his questions, “We’re all entitled to our secrets even if we’re bad at keeping them to ourselves.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was subtle!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You made me think I was haunted for, like, a week,” Alex said, laughing softly. Michael took a slow breath. “Listen, sorry for stressing you out. How about I make it up to you by taking you for coffee?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It took a solid thirty seconds of rebooting his mind for Michael to realize he was being asked on a date. Alex clearly wasn’t great at timing. Michael huffed a laugh and tried to relax his shoulders.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you seriously asking me out after casually telling me you know my deepest secret?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, if you say yes, maybe I’ll let you dissect what my deepest secret is.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is it not that you’re gay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Since when is that a secret?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fair enough,” Michael said, actually </span>
  <em>
    <span>laughing </span>
  </em>
  <span>a little despite the previous panic that still had him a little shaken up. He sniffled and looked around. “Um, can I say ask me again later?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Alex said without question, “Probably bad timing to ask you after saying I know your big secret.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They stood there awkwardly for a minute and Michael highly considered just slamming his face into the side of the truck to make this shit a little more bearable. He pulled his sleeves over his hands and balled up his fists, trying to ease the tension in his stomach. It didn’t really help.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I promise I won’t say anything,” he said, “You have my word.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Michael nodded. “Thanks.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll see you around.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Michael watched as Alex walked back into the library. Then he very quietly got into the driver’s seat of his truck, peacefully started the engine, casually pulled onto the main road.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And </span>
  <em>
    <span>then </span>
  </em>
  <span>let himself scream until his throat was sore.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As it turns out, Alex actually kept his word.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Two weeks after he not-so-subtly admitted to knowing Michael’s secret, no one had said anything. No one looked at him weird, no one tried to get him to do a cool trick, and even Isobel and Max had managed not to notice that something was up. It was enough time for Michael to realize that maybe he was actually trustworthy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It still took Michael another week to go back to the library.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He sat at his normal table and Alex was re-shelving books from his little cart. His back was turned to Michael’s table as if he wasn’t expecting him to be there. Which was fair enough. Michael tapped anxiously on the table and then focused on the book on the edge of the top shelf.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When it fell over, Alex didn’t even pick it up. He just turned to face him. Michael gave a small wave and he smiled right back, waving before he went to pick up the book. He reshelved it and Michael gave it a little push. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They did that a couple times, Michael assisting him. Eventually, though, he got fed up with waiting for Alex to come talk to him, so he stood up and walked over to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey,” he said. Alex looked over his shoulder at him and smiled softly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You didn’t tell anyone.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wasn’t really my secret to tell,” Alex said, “And, besides, who would I tell? And, if I </span>
  <em>
    <span>did </span>
  </em>
  <span>tell, why would they believe me? And why would I want to? I’m not stupid enough to think there aren’t things in this world we don’t know about or that isn’t talked about. You’re just one of those things and I’m not going to ruin the fun of anonymity.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, yeah?” Michael asked. Alex nodded, nimble fingers sliding a book into place. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can’t tell me vampires and mermaids aren’t real if I can convince myself that there are people like me who know and simply keep it to themselves.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So you think I’m a vampire or a mermaid?” Michael wondered, a playful tone in his voice. Alex look at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know what you are and I don’t know you well enough to deserve an answer,” he said simply, “But I know you’re cute.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Michael stared at him and wondered how he could even be real. Was he joking? Was this just him playing his cards right? Alex was too good to be true.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And yet… It seemed to be real.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How about that coffee?” Michael asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mm, can I also get help with biology?” he wondered. Michael huffed a laugh and nodded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Absolutely.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>also on my tumblr: spaceskam</p></blockquote></div></div>
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